As promised by House leaders, the constitutional amendment authorizing state charter schools was brought back for reconsideration; passing this time by a margin of three votes to be sent on to the Senate for action.

The first vote on House Resolution 1162, which was taken two weeks ago, failed by 10 votes. Its sponsors, including Rep. Jan Jones (R-Milton) re-wrote key elements of the bill and secured the votes needed to pass by a two-thirds majority on Feb. 22.

The speed with which the bill is moving through the legislature is unprecedented, said education watchers, and reflects the high level support for the issue.

"It usually takes a few days for a bill that passed one chamber to be introduced in the other. That's usually," said Angela Palm of the Georgia Schools Board Association (GSBA). "HR 1162 passed the House [Wednesday] afternoon and was scheduled for a hearing [the next morning]."